Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1780)

Battle of Cape St. Vincent
Part of the American Revolutionary War
The moonlight Battle off Cape St Vincent, 16 January 1780, Francis Holman
Date 16 January 1780 Location Off Cape St. Vincent, Atlantic Ocean 36°49′5″N 8°33′49″W / 36.81806°N 8.56361°W / 36.81806; -8.56361 Result British victory[1]
Belligerents
Great Britain	Spain
Commanders and leaders
Sir George Rodney	Juan de Lángara (POW)
Strength
18 ships of the line 6 frigates[2]	9 ships of the line 2 frigates[3]
Casualties and losses
32 killed 102 wounded[4]	2,500 killed, wounded or captured 4 ships of the line captured 1 ship of the line destroyed[3][4] fate of 2 ships of the line disputed (see Aftermath)[5]

The Battle of Cape St. Vincent (Spanish: Batalla del Cabo de San Vicente) was a naval battle that took place off the southern coast of Portugal on 16 January 1780 during the American Revolutionary War. A British fleet under Admiral Sir George Rodney defeated a Spanish squadron under Don Juan de Lángara. The battle is sometimes referred to as the Moonlight Battle (batalla a la luz de la luna) because it was unusual for naval battles in the Age of Sail to take place at night. It was also the first major naval victory for the British over their European enemies in the war and proved the value of copper-sheathing the hulls of warships.

Rodney was escorting a fleet of supply ships to relieve the Spanish siege of Gibraltar with a fleet of about twenty ships of the line when he encountered Lángara's squadron south of Cape St. Vincent. When Lángara saw the size of the British fleet, he attempted to make for the safety of Cádiz, but the copper-sheathed British ships chased his fleet down. In a running battle that lasted from mid-afternoon until after midnight, the British captured four Spanish ships, including Lángara's flagship Real Fénix (often just called "Fenix"). Two other ships were also captured, but they were retaken by their Spanish crews, although Rodney's report claimed the ships were grounded and destroyed; in fact one went aground and was destroyed, while the other safely returned to Cadiz and resumed service with the Spanish Navy.

After the battle Rodney successfully resupplied Gibraltar and Minorca before continuing on to the British West Indies. Lángara was released on parole; his career did not suffer from the defeat, and he was promoted to lieutenant general by Charles III of Spain.